This is quite possibly the best thing since Pet Sounds and that means a lot if you consider the weight behind Brian's first masterpiece. Without doubt my favourite album of 2004 and sitting right up there in my top five albums of all time. The back story of this album is incredibly interesting. After finishing Pet Sounds, Brian set about creating an album that would capture all the greatest developements he'd made in symphony pop. Smile started out but never saw the light of day due to Wilson's breakdown. However certain songs were completed, such as Good Vibrations, Heroes and Villians and Cabin Essence and these impressed all who listened. But everyone was left waiting for over thirty years for Brian to finish what he'd started. Finally, Brian peiced together a band that would have made the original Beach Boy line up happy and redid all the songs in the way they were originally intended. So what eventually came to be was Smile, released in 2004, and what a justice it is to all who waited. The sheer genius of his studio production, harmonic and symphonic arrangement, is totally stunning. This album is like a trip through the best Zappa song you've ever heard mixed with the best psychedelia and the best show tunes. It's the trippiest album I've heard for at least five years. A big note must be given to Van Dyke Park's incredible lyrics, which are at once simplistic and avant-garde. If you've never heard Brian at his best or are simply looking for a masterpiece of song craft then you will do no better than this album. I love it. Anyone who's heard it loves it. Listen to it. You will love it too. As Brian has said, "Our smile dream has come true." Surfs up!